ET weekly roundup: Wackiest whispers in corporate corridors

Private visit: The top gun of an investment bank associated with a recent unsuccessful billion dollar share sale was recently spotted at the office of the chief executive of a private bank. That led to speculation that efforts are on to salvage pride by getting a successful transaction done to erase the blot of the one that didn’t work out. But the question is, what kind of deal? Share sale? Unlikely, because the bank has a capital adequacy of nearly 15%. The talk is that it may be a stake sale in a small lender.

Paying the bill: Tata Sons interim chairman Ratan Tata often meets his friends for a meal or dinner at his favourite venue, The Chambers at Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, of which many captains of India Inc are members. After the meal, some of the newer waiters may be surprised to see their chairman paying the bill by signing a cheque. No wonder Tata is a role model for many!

Slings and Arrows: At the Tata Chemicals extraordinary general meeting, Ratan Tata told shareholders about being hurt by the attacks against him and feeling isolated by them. Even so, Tata has made a point of attending all the shareholder meetings since the battle with Cyrus Mistry began. He stays through until the finish, patiently listening to shareholders and sometimes smiling at their comments. Some say Tata’s presence was despite lawyers asking him not to attend as he could be subjected to further personal attacks.


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